No. 8 “Quitting is leading too.”
One of the things that made Nelson Mandela such a great leader was that he was able to admit to and embrace his flaws and weaknesses. To quote the video, “he triumphed over them” and that is what was so remarkable about him. When his proposal for the voting age to be lowered to 14 was met with criticism, “he accepted it with great humility” and abandoned the idea. Rather than sulking that his idea wasn’t accepted or being stubborn and persisting on it anyways, he let it go for the benefit of his people. Even more significantly, Mandela very well could have been President for life, but instead was only in office for five years. The majority of elected leaders in Africa have not willingly stood down from office. By Mandela choosing to do so, he set a precedent for all of his supporters. Through “quitting” his proposal and office position, he led by not really leading at all.
Even if you’re not leading a country, this rule is still applicable to everyday life. Just like Mandela, you have to act for the benefit of the group as a whole and cannot always put what you think first. It is good to treat things maturely and with an open mind. You have to be able to “quit” or adapt your ideas and listen to other people’s opinions. Conversely, if there is something you feel strongly against, you can lead by not participating in it. The article states that “leaders lead as much by what they choose not to do as what they do.” A skilled leader, like Nelson Mandela, knows when to quit.
